Agricultural pests are a major source of lost revenue for commercial growers. Pest are generally crop and region specific. One exemplary pest is the obliquebanded leafroller, Choristoneura rosaceana (Harris) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), a a tortricid moth native to North America and widely distributed from British Columbia to Nova Scotia and south to Florida (Chapman et al. 1968, Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 61: 285-290). The obliquebanded leafroller has an extremely wide host range; however, its host preference is limited to woody plants including Rosaceae. It is an established pest of pome fruits throughout North America, particularly apples. The redbanded leafroller, Argyrotaenia velutinana (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), is sympatric with the obliquebanded leafroller and native to temperate eastern North America (Chapman 1973, Annu Rev. Entomol. 18: 73-96). The host range of this species is even broader than that of the obliquebanded leafroller; it feeds on leaves of diverse plant species exluding conifers. Redbanded leafroller larvae feed on many unrelated plants, including most common fruits, vegetables, weeds, flowers, ornamentals and shrubs. Among the fruits, redbanded leafrollers prefer apples and are common pest in the apple-growing areas of the midwestern and eastern United States and eastern and western Canada. Its pest status has been associated with commercial use of pesticides and nutrient adjuvants in upper midwestern orchards (Strickler and Whalon 1985, Environ. Entomol. 14:486-495).
Another important agricultural pest is the Colorado potato beetle. The Colorado potato beetle (CPB), Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say.), is the most destructive pest of potatoes worldwide (Hare, Annu Rev Entomol 35:81-100 (1990); Zehnder and Gelernter, J Econ Entomol 82: 756-761 (1989)). CPB potato herbivory has been studied by many researchers (Ferro et al., J Econ Entomol 76: 349-356 (1983); Noling et al., J Nematol 16: 230-234 (1984); Mailloux et al., Res Popul Ecol 33: 101-113 (1991); Zehnder et al., J Econ Entomol 88: 155-161 (1995)) and pest management has been implemented using various control strategies, especially chemical control. Reliance on pesticide suppression, coupled with the beetles' propensity to evolve resistance and cross resistance has greatly exacerbated CPB management (Stankovic et al., J Pest Sc 77: 11-15 (2004)). Potato producers in the Upper Midwest have experienced intense economic and production challenges since the mid-1940's due to CPB resistance evolution (Grafius, J Econ Entomol 90: 1144-1151 (1997)). Introduction of neonicitinoid insecticides in the early 1990's averted impending disaster for the potato industry from the last resistance episode (Grafius, J Econ Entomol 90: 1144-1151 (1997)). Recently, resistance and cross resistance to the neonicitinoids is again flaring in the upper Midwest and East coast (Zhao et al., J Econ Entomol 93: 1508-1514 (2000); Nauen and Denholm, Arch Insect Biochem 58: 200-215 (2005)). Given resistance evolution, the search for promising CPB management tools continues. Thus, what is needed in the art are additional insecticides.